Buffalo Bills: Is the season already on the line in Week 5?

The Buffalo Bills are already 1-3 in 2018 and face a tough opponent on Sunday. Is the season already on the line in Week 5?

The Buffalo Bills never dropped below the .500 mark during the 2017 regular season. That is obviously not the case this year.

The Bills enter Week 5 with a record of 1-3 and all three of those losses have not been close games. Then there was the win, which was also not a close game. What a weird season so far.

That win was a positive but dropping to 1-4 would likely end any hopes of a Bills playoff berth in 2018. Those hopes may already be nearly nonexistent. A loss just takes the “nearly” out of the equation.

So yes, Sunday’s game is a must-win for the Bills. Suffer a loss and the focus is toward the 2019 NFL Draft even though it is still early in October. Although Brandon Beane likely already has his eyes on the top of the draft, even if he won’t fully admit that as being true.

The Bills didn’t enter the season as Super Bowl contenders. Or even legitimate playoff contenders for that matter. However, it is still better for the games to have meaning. Otherwise, it feels more like a Sunday chore.

Having a record of 2-3 leaves the possibility of a playoff berth alive. A win over a tough Tennessee Titans team would also make this team believe that they can compete with just about anyone. That should be the belief in every game, but sometimes it is simply not realistic.

Losses always come with the territory when it comes to tanking. But sometimes things go too far. Just look at the Cleveland Browns. The team, or rather the front office, purposely tanked and that led to a 1-31 record over two years. The GM was then fired and his replacement brought in nearly an entire new team. So much for sticking with the process.

That tank made the franchise descend to new depths and Bills fans want to avoid that at all costs. Some may say that going 1-15 and getting a top pick is better than going 6-10 or 7-9 and getting a mid-level pick. But as we saw last year, a team can still rack up wins and make some moves to get some top picks. Or even two.

Picking up a win against the Titans helps avoid the talk of tanking and potentially holds off some trades that may take place to send talent out in favor of adding some draft picks.

Nothing like a must-win in Week 5.